For the second straight month in October, key collection districts of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) performed below par, making it harder for the agency to meet its full-year collection target of P280.68 billion.
The oil ports of Limay and Batangas posted the biggest deficit followed by the Port of Manila, the Manila International Container Port (MICP), and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Customs commissioner Angelito Alvarez said more oil firms used their tax credit certificates in October, leading to weak performance in the districts.
Limay registered a more than 50% shortfall from its target of P3.68 billion to P1.81 billion. From January to October, it collected P20.77 billion, P5.48 billion short of its goal of P34.2 billion.
Batangas booked a deficit of P2.27 billion in October or 43% off its goal of P5.32 billion. For the first ten months of the year, it brought in P41.61 billion versus its target of P43.32 billion.
Against its P5.03-billion goal, POM had an October shortfall of P721 million as it collected P4.31 billion. It, however, managed to book a surplus of P3.78 billion to P44.76 billion vis-à-vis its P40.98-billion target from January to October.
MICP failed to meet its target by P609 million in October with revenues of P5.59 billion against a goal of P6.02 billion. The deficit for the ten-month period reached P2.62 billion on revenues of P52.25 billion against a P54.88-billion target.
NAIA missed its October target collecting P1.61 billion compared to its P1.69-billion goal. It also did not meet its ten-month goal of P14.57 billion by P9 billion.
The Port of Cebu also posted a shortfall of P214 million; Cagayan de Oro, P165 million; Subic Bay, P88 million; and Iloilo, P60 million.
Surpluses for October were seen in Legaspi, surplus of P1.3 million; Davao, P5.8 million surplus; and Clarkfield, P65 million.
BOC's total deficit for January to October is now at P21.43 billion on collections of P209.22 billion.
For November, the goal is P26.65 billion, and for December, P23.14 billion.
